The Grissom Autopen has been relisted on eBay and from reading the item description sounds like the seller isn't happy he found out it was an autopen.

Steve Zarelli

This must be preserved for the ages:

You may note that there is a signature over Gus Grissom. I tried to sell this as a signed photo. Meaning I did not think it was a copy. But all the self proclamed experts and self made ebay watchdogs jumped down my throat. Cried to ebay like little sissies and had the item pulled. They all say it is an autopen. Hey I just work in a factory and know nothing about this. So once again I am only selling the photo. Which may have an autopen signature or real signature or maybe signed by the space monkey. But I do know it meant a great deal to my cousin. And he had personal contact with these people.

Dougin SoCA

Steve, at least the potential buyers of an autopen signature thank you. I wasn't aware that we now have space monkeys forging signatures to worry about now too. What's the world (galaxy?) coming to.

ilbasso

I always ask for provenance when buying a monkey-signed item. If nothing else, it never hurts to have a picture of a monkey doing something cute.

bwhite1976

Regardless of the item, would anyone want to do business with this seller? Businessmen aren't usually hostile towards those that may buy their product and give them money.

Dougin SoCA

Unless they aren't going to make the money they were expecting (counting on) on something.

Rob Joyner

By the statement "the space monkey", is the seller saying that the possible monkey in question has indeed flown a mission in space? That makes a difference, you know.

benfairfax

Maybe after Ham's flight, before autopen machines were used he was given an office job and ask to do some signing. We maybe onto something here.

Tykeanaut

In my experience, aggression usually indicates guilt?

Dougin SoCA

Make sure you only buy official Space Monkey merchandise (O.S.M.M.)...

fredtrav

Beware of space monkey forgeries. there are unscrupulous monkies out there trying to pass their sig er paws off as the space monkies.

lspooz

Y'all!!! That just ain't right - you've made me laugh so hard I nearly spilled on my laptop!

Great stuff.

And by the way, that's clearly not a space monkey - it's an ape... Pan troglodytes.

Skyforce1

You're all not right!!

Dougin SoCA

Be on the look-out for non-authentic and unofficially "licensed" "Space Monkeys" signed merchandise (especially the Canadian ones)...

moorouge

Just for the record, there are 'monkey autographs' to be found on eBay. Ham's fetches about $5.

However, beware. There are fakes about. So many people wrote in requesting his 'autograph' that his handlers were worried that Ham might wear his hand out. Eventually, the first available chimp's hand print was used.

ilbasso

There's a few Enos fakes going around, too. Just like forgers have misspelled Neil Armstrong's name, they do it with Enos, too. I've seen a couple where E-N-O-S looks suspiciously close to A-N-U-S.